The Bra Rant 2.0

Back in the day, when this blog was shiny and new, I wrote about how everyone is wearing the wrong bra. I prefaced that post with a "girls only!" caveat, but now I think everyone should read it, whether the breasts in your life belong to you or someone you know. In the past few years, more and more people seem to be jumping on the "80% of women wear an improperly fitting bra" bandwagon, so I've found myself a new cause to adopt. This one goes "everyone is wearing a bra, and that's just wrong."

I don't wear bras. I have donned one perhaps twice in the past six months, for fashion reasons relating to particular outfits, but in general I would not be caught dead in one. Now, I'm not a bra-burning feminist or anything; my old bras are languishing in a dresser drawer, filed with my other purely-optional fashion accessories. There are many reasons to abandon bras altogether, but for me it is a matter of comfort. I have chronic headaches, and nothing guarantees a migraine like the pressure a bra puts on your back, neck and shoulders (yes, even the properly fitting ones). I go bra-free because it makes me happy.

In case you were concerned, I am in no way endangering my health by abandoning the brassiere, any more than modern women's organs are in danger of going unsupported by our lack of corset. According to brafree.org, one of the only anti-bra websites maintained by a bonafide medical doctor, there is no medical benefit to wearing a bra, and if you stop to think about it, has anyone ever really claimed there is? I always assumed bra-wearing was a necessity because that is the implicit message girls receive, but I don't recall anybody ever telling me why. We do it because it's socially acceptable, which brings me to my next point.

The Revolution is Coming

The customary forewarning: this post is unlikely to interest those of the male persuasion.

In my first real post on this blog, I ranted about the dearth of knowledge about proper bra fitting and the difficulty of finding proper bras. I noted particularly the abysmal range of bra sizes offered in department stores. I can now quite happily rescind that criticism, at least in part. I walked into Dillard's today to buy shoes, which happened to be just across from the lingerie department. I decided to browse through it, not particularly hopefully, and was extremely suprised to see formerly hard-to-find sizes on the rack, including some quite respectable brands like Le Mystère. There wasn't a lot of selection outside the "normal" (i.e. firmly established) size range, but finding a 32G in a department store is a formerly unheard of phenomenon and is definitely cause for celebration. There's still a ways to go - for example, the sales staff didn't quite know what to do with the new sizes. The "fit specialist" I approached seemed to think the bra alphabet went straight from DDD to G (for future reference, the badly designed and rather ambiguous system goes: AA A B C D DD DDD/E F FF G GG H and so forth). Still, there is undoubtedly progress! "Nonstandard" body types of the world, rejoice!

Girls Only!

Back home in Texas for spring break, it's already warm enough to be summer, which got me thinking of, among other things, swimsuit season. I'd like to give a shoutout to the greatest fashion innovation since the demise of the corset: bra-sized swimwear. Shopping for the perfect swimsuit can be a nightmare: you want something both flattering and comfortable that covers enough (but not too much). In my experience, it's always a problem of proportions. If yours aren't "standard," you might be out of luck. The mix-and-match separates sold in any department store fix half the problem, but if you're still taking issue with the ratio of cloth to string in that cute but miniscule bikini top, shopping by bra size is probably for you.

Many department stores carry cup-size swimsuits in the "normal" range of bra sizes, but for the best selection you should try a specialty lingerie store. Find one near you using this store locator. If you live in the middle[bury] of nowhere, my favorite place to shop online is Figleaves.com. Just select your bra size and you can browse through everything available, from bikinis to one-pieces modest enough for your grandmother.

Remember, when shopping for a swimsuit, the same fitting rules for bras still apply. In case you've forgotten, take the refresher course, or, if you barely got through my rant the first time, the condensed version can be found at the bottom of this page.

Happy shopping: with a great-fitting swimsuit you can hit the beach looking and feeling fabulous! Or, like me, the heated natatorium...

A Call to Arms, or, Why I Hate Victoria's Secret

I've been wanting to write on this subject for a long time. As you may be able to tell from the title, I have some pent-up frustrations with the bra industry. In this case, capitalism and the law of supply and demand are a huge problem because the market is dictating to women what they want, rather than the other way around. What we need is some education about bras. After all, you don't go around with ill-fitting shoes, and a bra is a little more basic than that.

As an illustration of the larger problem, let's consider Victoria's Secret, which many people suppose to be high-end lingerie. One would think they'd know what they're doing. Victoria's got a secret all right - she knows very little about good bra fitting. First of all, the range of sizes the store carries is abysmal: 32A-C and 34-40A-DD. That's about average for most department stores and clothing catalogs (even Walmart carries larger band sizes, and most places have a few DDD cups). A good lingerie store (and by that I mean a real one) should have, in stock, 32-56A-J, and online the range of possible sizes is practically endless (you can find, for example, 28AA or 56L). Right now you're probably thinking "but most people wear normal sizes!" And that's where the market has done such a terrific job of brainwashing us about what a "normal" size is. Because it takes some effort and previous knowledge to find anything outside the standard department store range mentioned above, many women are under the impression that those are the only sizes that exist, and so, if they even realize that they can't find a bra that fits them, they don't know they have other options and so go on with their lives and their ill-fitting undergarments. And because women only buy the sizes stores have to offer, those are the only sizes the stores ever will offer. It's a self-perpetuating problem. That's the reason around 80% (estimates vary, but that's the most oft-quoted figure) of women are walking around wearing the wrong size bra. And hardly anybody knows. Something's wrong with this picture!

Maybe you're thinking "I'm not part of that 80%. My bra fits fine! Why, I even got fitted by a lingerie saleswoman." A word of warning - she might not know any better than you. I speak from experience when I say that saleswomen (even if they wear little nametags that say "fit specialist") will try to convince you that, if you don't fall within the "normal" size range, the flaw is in your body and you'll just have to accept it and buy the closest thing to fitting they can offer you. "Sister sizes" are the mortal enemy of well-fitting bras because they generally increase band size in an effort to find a large enough cup size - the most common fitting error (but we'll come to that later). Also, a real corsetière (i.e. a bra fitter who knows what she's doing), shocking as it may sound, needs to see you wearing a bra before she can tell you if it fits or not. If the whole idea makes you uncomfortable, read on. If you know for yourself how a bra should fit, you won't need help, though you'd be surprised how not-awkward and rewarding a professional bra fitting can be.

This brings us to the most important section of all...how a bra should fit. I've synthesized the following guidelines out of lots of internet research combined with personal experience -- there's a lot of conflicting information out there, but if you look at what shows up the most often you can't go too far wrong. First, let's correct a series of myths about bras.

Myth: Most women wear the correct bra size.
Fact: Around 80% of American women wear ill-fitting bras. Most women who wear the wrong size bra try to compensate for a too-small cup with a too-large band, leading to problems such as inadequate support, back pain, “double bubble” and “back bulge.”

Myth: Bra sizes are standard.
Fact: Not only do bra sizes vary by manufacturer, but no two sets of instructions for determining bra size are alike. While measurements can provide a starting place, the only way to find a correctly fitting bra is trial and error, bearing in mind how a bra ought to fit.

Myth: All cups with the same letter name are the same size.
Fact: Cup sizes are proportional to band sizes. Therefore, the cup of a 34B is smaller than that of a 36B. This is important to remember when trying to correct problems in your bra size. If your band size is too big but your cup size is correct, remember to go up a cup size each time you go down a band size.

Myth: Underwire bras are uncomfortable by nature.
Fact: A properly fitting underwire bra is both supportive and comfortable. It should not poke or leave marks in the skin. The underwire should encompass the breast and rest on hard bone, not soft tissue. The place where the wires meet between the breasts should lie flat against the breastbone, and the wires under your arms should sit far enough back that they don’t lie on soft tissue.

Myth: The straps provide most of the support of a bra.
Fact: The band of a bra should bear most of the weight of the breasts. This is why it is extremely important not to wear a too-large band size. If the band is too loose, more of the weight rests on the bra straps, leading to painful red marks and eventually permanent grooves in the shoulders. A firm, supportive band alleviates strain on the shoulders and leads to less back pain and better posture.

Myth: "Back bulges" are caused by a too-tight band.
Fact: Actually, the opposite is true. If the band is too loose, it tends to ride up too high on the back. The bust line is usually about halfway between the shoulder and the elbow, and the back of a bra should be level with the front. A tight enough band will fit straight and low around the ribcage, where there is less fat to cause unsightly bulges.

Surprised yet? Let's move on to some general guidelines about proper fitting.

The cups: Breasts should fill bra cups, creating a smooth line. A “double bubble” means the cups are too small. On the other hand, if the bra cups are baggy and full of wrinkles, they’re too big.

The band: The bra band should be tight and firm and fit straight across the back, halfway between elbows and shoulders. If you stand sideways to a mirror, you should see that the front of the bra is level with the back.

The underwires: The center gore (the place where the wires meet between the cups) should lie flat against the breastbone. If it pops out, the bra cups are too small. The underwire should lie on bone all the way around the breast. If it cuts into the soft breast tissue, the bra cups are too small.

The straps: Bra straps aren’t meant to support all or even most of the weight of your breasts. If they’re so tight they leave red marks in your shoulders, try a bra with a more supportive band. Otherwise, you can end up with permanent grooves in your shoulders.

The label: The label is the least important part of your bra. Please, don't get hung up on a particular size. All that's important is finding a bra with a comfortable, supportive fit. If you've spent most of your life thinking you wear a 36C and after being properly fitted find you really wear a 32F, rejoice! Our society has an odd double standard about breast size - many women bemoan having small breasts, but are often unwilling to admit that they might be larger than they thought. Don't get hung up on the label. Bra size should be like shoe size - if it fits, it fits, and that's all there is to it.

Now that you know how a bra should fit, chances are you may need to do some shopping. And odds are good that you may not find what you need at the mall. Don't despair! Good-size cities often have specialty lingerie stores with real corsetières. Look for the ones that have been in business for some time, since the more experience, the better. This website provides a list of bra fitting locations in 48 states and 6 Canadian provinces. If you know your size, or don't mind spending a lot of time shipping things back and forth, check out figleaves.com. They have a wide range of bra sizes from many manufacturers, as well as swimsuits in bra sizes (a huge blessing, since if you don't wear a "normal" bra size, chances are you have trouble finding swimsuits as well). There are countless other online shopping sites with a great selection of sizes and styles, but nothing is better than a physical store, as the whole secret of proper bra fitting is trying on bra after bra until you find the magic fit.

Hopefully you've found this information useful and enlightening - please, take it and use it! Share it with all the women in your life. 80% is a huge number, but hopefully if we pass on what we know we can reduce it. My hope is that one of these days, as the knowledge spreads, manufacturers and retailers will catch on and women everywhere will wear properly fitting bras. Now that would be a lovely thing.